How does a person get disorder? (genetic, injury, etc.) Epilepsy and seizures can develop in any person at any age. Factors such as other health conditions, age, and race may make developing epilepsy and seizures more likely. People who have had strokes, or brain injury are more susceptible to this disease.

Testing:

Epilepsy EEG Test

Blood Testing

PET Scan

Spinal Tap

Treatment:

These are sometimes called anti-epileptic drugs (AEDs) or anti-seizure drugs. Medicine is the most common way of treating epilepsy and is almost always the first treatment tried. They will successfully control seizures for about 7 out of 10 people with epilepsy. Some that can help art Atreol, Carbagen SR, and Epitol. Some medications may work for some people, and may not work for other people. There is a long list of medication that can help with seizures.

Statistics:

Each year, 150,000 or 48 out of 100,000 people will develop epilepsy.The incidence of epilepsy is higher in young children and older adults. This means that epilepsy starts more often in these age groups.When the incidence of epilepsy is looked at over a lifetime, 1 in 26 people will develop epilepsy at sometime in their life.

Foundations:

The Epilepsy Foundation, is a national non-profit with more than 47 organizations throughout the United States and it has led the fight against seizures since 1968. They hope to help make a difference in families affected by Epilepsy. The UCB Family Epilepsy Scholarship Foundation is a scholarship program that aims to aid students affected by epilepsy. This includes students with epilepsy, and students who have family members with epilepsy.

Well Known Epileptics:

Many people across the world are affected by epilepsy, including celebrities. Rapper Lil Wayne was hospitalized in 2013 after having a string of seizures; he then opened up about his epilepsy in an interview. Award winning artist, Prince, also lives with epilepsy. He recalled about how living with epilepsy as a child caused ridicule from his classmates. He says that this helped him to develop his own sense of independence and adopt a unique style that has made him famous today.

Primitive Practices:

In older times, people with epilepsy were often isolated, in fear that they were being possessed by demons. As far back as 7,000 years ago, epilepsy was treated with trepanation, boring a hole into the head. It was thought that by doing this, the evil spirits trapped inside the head would be let out.

A Day in the Life:

Normal people live with epilepsy every day. Often times, epileptic seizures can be controlled by medication. Unfortunately, most epilepsy medications cause serious side effects, so most epileptics take a variety of medications to manage their symptoms. Some epileptics who do not have their seizures under control are not able to drive, which can make it difficult to find a job. If someone has frequent and severe epileptic seizures, they may qualify for disability benefits.